FINCA LA PICONA / NICARAGUA CUP OF EXCELLENCE

Tastes Like: Maple Syrup, Red Berries, Tamarind, Brown Sugar Spice

Why I'm Obsessed: Ok, I have a lot to say about this coffee, so buckle up, but first, let's just talk about how it tastes. La Picona is a natural process maracaturra, a natural cross between maragogype and caturra that likely originated in Nicaragua. It's known for its jumbo bean size (these are monsters!) and vibrant, complex, fruity profile, and this lot is a perfect showcase of what the varietal can do at its best. The first thing you'll notice is that striking raw sugar sweetness, almost effervescent, almost sticky like molasses, that hits you immediately and takes center stage. As I was drinking it, I kept thinking of maple syrup poured over cinnamon-spiced waffles, with hints of cinnamon and clove that play off the sweetness beautifully. The tangy tamarind note reminds me of Jarritos Tamarindo soda! And as it cools, the cup keeps revealing itself: a big tumble of red berries like dried strawberries and cherries, and a finish of soft vanilla florals. It's rich without being dense, and has a nice structure to it, almost like a gentle hand on your shoulder. As with coffees of this caliber, every sip brings something different.

If you've never had a Cup of Excellence (COE) coffee before, you're in for a real treat. And if you have, well… you know exactly how amazing this coffee is going to taste. COE is the "Oscars of coffee", run by the nonprofit Alliance for Coffee Excellence, and the competition is fierce. That La Picona placed 15th tells you everything you need to know about just how stacked the field was this year.

Finca La Picona is run by female farmer Martha Lucia Albir Sotomayor, high in the mountains of Dipilto, Nueva Segovia. Nicaragua's specialty coffee scene is a don't-call-it-a-comeback story if there ever was one: decades of political upheaval nearly wiped out an industry that was once among the world's best. In fact, the COE competition in Nicaragua is what really helped the industry get to where it is today, with coffees that confidently stand amongst some of the best in the world. You can only get COE coffees at a special auction, and we're so grateful that Dapper and Wise set some of this small lot aside for us (and you!). This is the kind of coffee that sells out before you finish reading about it. If La Picona is calling your name, don't wait.

I mean, COME ON. A varietal born in Nicaragua, on a farm run by a woman rewriting what Central American coffee can be, winning a competition that literally helped put Nicaraguan specialty coffee back on the map, and it tastes like waffles and maple syrup. Nicaragua Finca La Picona isn't just a great cup of coffee. It's the whole story, in one bag.

Bottom Line: You'll love this coffee if you love real maple syrup, fancy amaro, or black cherry ice cream. Or just, you know, want to casually sip one of the best coffees in the world.

It won 15th place in the 2025 Cup of Excellence Competition.

Martha describes this coffee as having tamarind sweetness with malic and phosphoric acidity.